Charlie's Angel
by JoHnNy CaStLe
Summary: It seems that Charlie is always there to help the gang with their problems, but do they know how it's tearing her apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Charlie's Angel**

**Charlie's POV ** **History**

Tears blurred my vision and threatened to spill over onto my frost bitten cheeks. I must've looked like hell, hair a mess, cheeks red from the cold, ripped pajama bottoms and a stained oversized T-Shirt. I was five when my dad died, a car accident out in New Hampshire. He was out there on business, and December sixth was the last time I saw him.

_Flashback_

_"Don't leave me with her daddy," I whined, talking about the middle aged woman, passed out on my bed._

_"I'll be back soon kiddo, and when I get back, we'll go to the Dingo for dinner." My father told me, and he blew raspberries onto my stomach, even though I was five that always made me giggle._

_"Be good for your mother… she's got a lot on her mind." My father warned me, rumpling my hair._

_"Tell her to be good for me!" I protested stubbornly, crossing my arms and stomping my foot._

_My dad gave me a look and kissed my forehead, "Keep the locket on, and when you squeeze it, I'll feel it. I'll miss you Munchkin."_

_And that was the last time I saw him._

_And my locket… _

_End Flashback_

I soon found myself at the park, so I walked towards the swings, but I collapsed before I got there.

The tears spilled over and soaked my cold cheeks, my body was racking with sobs that I had held in for the past five blocks. It's hard to believe a five year old could feel such emotion, but I didn't want to cry in front of all the people at my house, saying how sorry they were. People I didn't know where pinching my cheeks and saying how much I'd grown.

The tears had dried on my face, more like froze, and my face felt extremely hot.

"Hey look!" I heard coming from behind me, I realized how late it was, around eight thirty, so I sniffled and turned around.

**Ponyboy's POV**

I saw a girl, probably about two or so years older then me, laying on the ground. She was crying, really hard, and she looked dirty.

"Daddy can we keep her?" I asked, tugging on my dad's sleeve. I said this as if she were a dog or a cat. The girl was facing us now, and she looked like she was going to cry some more.

"Don't cry." I said, walking towards her, more like wobbling, I was three. She sat up, her lip started quivering, I sat cross legged next to her, "Whatsa matter?" I asked.

My dad raised both of his eyebrows in surprise as the girl opened her mouth and let out a hiccupping sob. Soda was 6, he cocked his head to the side, and sat down beside her, "Are you okay?"

Still, the girl said nothing, only sat there, watching us all with wary expressions, looking extremely miserable.

"Daddy, can she come to Dairy Queen with us?" I asked, and looked at him pleadingly.

Dad paused, and bit his lip, something he did when he was thinking something over, then shrugged, "Sure, why not." He said finally.

**Darry's POV**

The girl was five and her name was Charlotte, and that's all we could get out of her. When Ponyboy asked where her parents were, she just started bawling again. We just sort of watched her, what else could four guys have done? I'm 10, Dad's 35, Sodapop's 6, and Ponyboy's 3, yet we had no idea what to say to comfort her. I awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, but that's the only action we took.

We asked her more questions, but she stayed silent, not saying anything more. She didn't even tell us where she lived, so we just drove home where mom could fuss over her.

"Who's your friend?" Mom asked, once all of us had walked through the front door, I had Charlotte by the hand and I was leading her into the house.

"Charlotte, we found her at the park!" Ponyboy said excitedly, handing his coat to mom.

"Come on Charlotte, have some cocoa." Mom said happily, taking Charlotte's hand from mine and leading her into the kitchen.

Once the cocoa was done, we all sat in the living room, Charlotte had soon fallen asleep between me and Soda on the couch.

"Darry honey, would you wake her up?" Mom asked me, walking out of the kitchen, "I called her mother, she wants her home." She pulled the sleeve of her jacket over her arm.

"How'd you get her phone number?" Soda asked incredulously, "We couldn't get two words out of the kid!"

"She told me her last name, Woods, and I looked it up in the phone book." Mom replied, smiling slightly, "She just needs someone to talk to, her father just died."

"She doesn't have a daddy?" Ponyboy asked, looking surprised.

"No sweetie, she doesn't." Mom replied sadly, nodding.

I nodded a bit also, I knew something was wrong, so I wasn't surprised. I shook Charlotte's tiny shoulder, "Wake up Charlotte." I said.

Charlotte's eyes fluttered open and she slowly picked her head up off my shoulder, she was a cute little kid, long blond hair, bright blue eyes, when she saw mom she stood up.

"It's time to go Charlotte, your mother wants you home." Mom said, leading Charlie towards the door.

"Hey Charlie." Soda said, and the newly dubbed Charlie turned to face him, "Come back soon… okay?"

I thought I saw the trace of a smile on the little girl's lips, and she was gone, just as fast as she had appeared.


	2. Chapter 2

**11 years later**

**Dally's POV**

"Where the hell are you going?"

"OUT!" Charlie yelled back at her mother, slamming the door behind her.

"I'm not done with you Charlotte, get your fat ass back here!"

Charlie slammed the door, so the rest of her mother's yells were drowned out, she sighed heavily and I saw her face at her mother's "Fat ass" comment.

"You don't have a fat ass, you have a nice ass." I put in, jogging up behind her, and giving her butt a nice squeeze.

She slapped my hand away, "Gee thanks Dal." She said sarcastically, she didn't even look at me, she just looked straight ahead.

"My pleasure." I replied, smirking slightly as her face turned a beat red. I have a talent, making Charlie blush, and I use it… a lot.

"Cut it out Dallas, I'm really not in the mood right now." She said, taking a right turn on Fischer. I followed her, she was trying to loose me.

"I can see why." I replied coolly, shouts of "Get back here you whore or I'll skin you." And things to that effect were still ringing in my ears, "Where're you headed?"

"The Curtis's… I'd rather talk to their mother than my own." Charlie replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder and whacking me in the face with it as she did so, she loves me, I can tell.

"So exactly how old are you now?" I questioned, smirking slightly at the words that have yet to leave my lips, "Ten?"

She looked like she could've killed me right then if she had a blade on her, "Fifteen." She said coolly, opening the door to the Curtis's house and letting out a loud "Hello!" as she did so.

"Hello Charlie!" came the voice of Mrs. Curtis, she walked out of the kitchen drying her hands on a dish rag, "And Dallas, come in, come in, I was just getting ready to go out."

"Hi Mrs. Curtis, I'll help." Charlie said, taking off her jean jacket and throwing it onto the couch towards Darry and his father. It was then that I saw what she was wearing, a black tube top and a pair of tight hip hugger jeans. What kind of idiot girl walked the streets of our neighborhood dressed like that? What kind of idiot Mom let them? But I'll admit, I was drooling.

**Darry's POV**

I looked up from the TV as a jean jacket narrowly missed landing on my head, "Hey Charlie." I said, smirking slightly, "What are you wearing? Underwear?"

She stuck her tongue out at me and followed my mom towards mom and dad's bedroom. Dallas watched her until she disappeared, then turned to me and my dad, "She's had a rough day." He said, "Her mom's hassling her again."

"And a rough night." My dad added, not looking up from the television, when he finally looked up and saw the questioning looks me and Dal were giving him, he continued, "I saw her dragging her mom out of Buck Merril's last night."

"What were you doing at Buck Merril's?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms.

"Make sure that Ponyboy and Soda get their homework done tonight, before we get home that is." He said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I forgot you and mom were going out tonight, you'll be home by nine right? I have to get some rest… I have work in the morning." I said.

"Of course." Dad said, then looked up as mom walked into the room, she had on a long blue dress, it was kind of old and looked like some mice had chewed through a part of the leg, but god bless Charlie, she had colored some of my mom's leg the same color blue, you could tell.

"I'm out of here, I just came to make sure Miss Priss got here alright…" Dally said, standing up and disappearing through the door, I guess all that talk about Buck's reminded him of something.

"You look great mom." I said, grinning hugely.

She grinned back, I never realized how much her smile reminded me of Sodapop.

Speak of the devil, Soda and Ponyboy walked in with a backpack slung over their shoulders, Soda held a slip of paper in his hand and he looked nervous, I could almost see the bright red F now.

"We're goin' Pepsi-Cola, and I expect for your homework to be done by the time we get back, ya hear?" Dad said, and he flashed a smile when Soda nodded, "See ya later kids." Then he and mom strode out the door.

**5 hrs. later**

**Soda's POV**

My homework was finally done, thanks to Charlie. She's the only one who knows that I want to drop out of school, I don't want to tell mom and dad yet, it would break their hearts. Charlie tells me I'm not dumb, I'm people smart, she says, A person doesn't need to know Algebra to be smart. It's funny, because my girlfriend, Sandy, gets mad jealous of her. I tell Charlie things I'd never tell Sandy, mostly it's because Charlie would just find out anyway. Sandy's nuts if she thinks I'm cheating on her with Charlie though, that would be just plain wrong, she's like my little sister.

Something about this setting felt so familiar, Ponyboy sat on one side of me, his head on my shoulder, fast asleep, I sat in between him and Charlie, and Charlie was fast asleep with her head in Darry's lap and her feet curled up into a ball. Darry was staring straight ahead into the darkness of the room, absently stroking Charlie's blond hair.

Mom and Dad said they'd be home by nine, and now it was eleven. We were anxious and worried, at least I was, I don't know about Darry, he never really shows any emotion. I guess you can imagine what happened when the phone rang, me and Darry both jumped up, dumping Charlie onto the floor and waking Ponyboy roughly.

Darry ran into the kitchen and picked up the phone, "Hello?" he asked, then there was a long pause, "Is this some kind of joke?" then he said, "No, this can't be right…" then he was silent, and I heard the soft click of the phone being hung up on the mounted phone hook. We waited for Darry to come out of the kitchen, but he didn't.

I heard a loud bang in the kitchen, which was Darry banging his fists hard onto the counter, so I flinched and followed Charlie into the kitchen with Ponyboy behind me. "D-Darry?" Ponyboy asked quietly, and Darry turned to face us so rapidly he stumbled for his balance. In his eyes was such a hollowed sadness, that I almost knew what he was about to say.

"Car accident…" Darry said, his voice was raspy and kind of quiet, so he cleared his throat roughly and went on, "Mom and Dad… they didn't…"he shook his head and leaned backwards against the counter, putting his head in his hands.

Ponyboy, Charlie, and I stood in silence, the news not haven quite sunken in yet. I heard a small sniffle next to me, then Charlie said, "Maybe I better go," backing out of the kitchen, but I gripped her shoulder to make her stay. The sniffle had been Ponyboy, and he was crying, but more in a disbelieving kind of way. Before I knew it, tears had sprung to my eyes and my face felt hot. Darry's head was still in his hands, but he wasn't crying, it was probably a good thing too, because if he was crying, it would've scared the shit out of all of us.

Darry took in a shaky breath, then let it out. "They said that we have to go to the morgue to… identify the…" he trailed off and looked out the window in front of the sink, he didn't need to finish, we all knew what was going to happen next.

…………………..

A/N: Sorry this chapter wasn't very good. If you want to know what Charlie looks like, PM me and I'll send you a link…


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